Pope Francis: Catholics shouldn't breed "like rabbits"

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (Reuters) - Catholics should not feel they have to breed "like rabbits" because of the Church's ban on contraception, Pope Francis said on Monday, suggesting approved natural family planning methods.

Francis used the unusually frank language during an hour-long news conference on the plane from Manila to Rome at the end of his week-long Asia trip. ...

Francis spoke at length about birth control and population, issues that arose in the Philippines, where the local Church opposes a government law making contraceptives easily available.

"Some think, excuse me if I use the word, that in order to be good Catholics, we have to be like rabbits - but no," he said, adding the Church promoted "responsible parenthood".

He mentioned a woman he recently met who already had seven children by caesarean sections and put her life at risk by becoming pregnant again. He said he chided her for "tempting God" and added: "That was an irresponsibility."

The leader of the 1.2-billion-strong Roman Catholic Church restated its ban on artificial birth control, adding there were "many ways that are allowed" to practise natural family planning.

Note: the phrase "responsible parenthood" had already been used in the conciliar document on "the Church and the modern world" -- Gaudium et Spes. But since the overwhelming majority of Catholic have not read it, prepare yourselves to hear this phrase -- a phrase long hijacked by advocates of contraception -- to be used more often, and hurled at large families who practice the Faith with full faith in The Lord.